


Awake Me From My Nightmare

by Ava_Writes_Alot



Series: The End of a Dream [2]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Assassination Attempt(s), Bad ending guys sorry, Blood and Injury, Gen, Literally everyone dies in FE4 ending, Oh cool death, Seliph needs a hug, seliph is sad, very brief tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:33:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25696588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ava_Writes_Alot/pseuds/Ava_Writes_Alot
Summary: Seliph didn’t feel any sort of happiness; he needed to be happy because the world was saved. Shouldn’t that be a good reason to at least smile? Yet everything felt so dull and bitter. He felt emotionless, like every feeling inside him was sucked out of him without even knowing.Was this really a victory?
Relationships: Celice | Seliph/Lakche | Larcei
Series: The End of a Dream [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908127
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10
Collections: Calamity's Advent





	Awake Me From My Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the Invincible Zine Calamity’s Advent zine!! A horror/angst zine! I am very proud of this fic btw!
> 
> Tag warnings include: brief mention of alcohol, blood, and depictions of dead bodies

“You did it, Seliph! At long last, Loptyr has finally been defeated-,” he heard his tactician Lewyn say. “Now all of Jugdral will be at peace.” 

Seliph didn’t feel any sort of happiness; he needed to be happy because the world was saved. Shouldn’t that be a good reason to at least smile? Yet everything felt so dull and bitter. He felt  _ emotionless _ , like every feeling inside him was sucked out of him without even knowing. 

_ Was this really a victory? _

Seliph did his best to smile and replied. “Yes…After an entire year of fighting, he’s finally gone.” He let out a sad sigh, wishing that his comrades were still here to celebrate the victory.

“I know Seliph, it’s a very empty victory. Julia died during the final battle…and everyone else is gone too…” The real Lewyn tried to feel some sort of emotion, but he couldn’t feel anything, no matter how hard he tried. 

“You saw what happened!” Seliph snapped. “I’m the one who killed Julia. I thought she would snap out of her trance if I used my sword…but I ended up killing her instead. She’s gone forever now…” He was trembling, feeling weaker with each word he spoke.

He was about to cry any moment now, feeling the familiar sting of tears in his eyes. “I-I know I should be happy, Lewyn,” he said, “but without anyone here? It’s hard to know how the future will go.” He stood still for a long moment, trying to relax himself. “Who is even going to rule the respective kingdoms if every royal has been deceased?”

“You will have to rule in their place.” Lewyn let out. He closed his eyes and prepared for what Seliph’s reaction would be. “That is the only way.” 

“No, Lewyn!” Seliph choked out, finally breaking down into tears.“You know I can’t do this. I’m already terrified about ruling Grannvale, let alone the entire continent.” His heart was beating out of his chest, and he started breathing heavily. This was more responsibility than he ever wanted. He already had so many burdens, and all of it was just making him even more anxious. 

“I’m sorry Seliph, but no one else with the right holy blood is alive. You’re the only one left with major holy blood,” Lewyn sighed. “I must go now. I have my own journey to begin.” 

“But Lewyn! No…Forseti!” Seliph shouted. “I still need you!! I still need someone to help me rule! You know someone like me can’t rule a whole continent…” He fell down to his knees, begging Forseti to stay by his side for just a little bit longer. Kings aren’t supposed to beg or be vulnerable, but at this point he needed someone to help him get a head start though it. 

“Please…” was all he could say. He said it too many times to count before he just gave up and cried, feeling frail and shaky. 

“I know you can do it…” Forseti said. “You’re a brave man. You’re a king, and I am sure the people of Jugdral will support you for the rest of your days.” 

“Forseti… I-” He stopped to think; he knew he wasn’t ready, but he knew that Forseti was right. “I don’t want to do this,” he paused and took a deep breath. “But I understand…” 

Forseti smiled and nodded. “I wish you luck on your reign,” he said. “I will still be there, even when you are alone.” He finished, hoping it would at least reassure the new king. Then the wind god’s spirit left the body of Lewyn and disappeared from the human world.

Seliph was still sobbing when Forseti left. “I do not want this. The people of Grannvale already see me as a god… but now the entirety of Jugdral will see me as their lord and savior.” He just wanted Larcei by his side; ruling would be less of a burden with her around.

It took a good, long hour for him to get back on his feet and tell himself to man up and be a king. 

He missed his stubborn fiancée Larcei, his gentle half-sister Julia, and all he truly desired was his comrades - no, his  _ friends _ \- back.

_ The weight of the crown is immense. _

* * *

A year had passed. But he hardly noticed; to him, it was just another day. Seliph awoke from his slumber and sighed, he picked up a little drawing of his friends and smiled. The picture was of Larcei, Ares, Lene, and Leif. It made him happy remembering them, despite drowning in sadness later on in the day.

He got up, put on his usual royal uniform, and left his room sighing. The moment he opened his door he was greeted with a knight, telling him the usual information about today. 

“Good morning, Your Majesty. Today I have a very important update for you.” The knight was speaking quickly, as their eyes darted around the room. They looked panicked. 

“Alright then. What is it?” he replied.

“We got a message from one of our messengers that the Lopto Cult has returned and they are looking for you, sir.” 

Seliph's stomach dropped as he listened to the knight's words. Manfroy was still alive? “Well. They could be just rumors. Could you tell me where they’re at?”

The knight hesitated and read the paper again. “They’re rumored to be in Isaach. Shall we go send some scouts over there to check it out?” 

Seliph nodded. “Yes, that would be much appreciated. Send a good amount of them, too - for good measure.” 

“Yes sir.” The knight said before rushing off. 

As the knight left he heard  _ them _ again. Them being the voices. They mocked him so much since everyone’s death. 

‘ _ Your win was all for naught. The Lopto Cult is out there. Their leader is still alive. You aren’t enough. You are at fault’ _

Oh god, not again.

Seliph shook his head. He needed more information about this. This couldn’t be true, could it? He thought for sure they were gone, unless he was deceived.

Seliph walked out of his room and into the halls, giving the soldiers an update on the rumors about the Lopt cult. After he informed the guards, he warped himself to Isaach. 

Once he landed in Isaach he went to the first village next to Sophara and asked about the rumors, specifically if they noticed anything odd going on in this country recently. They all shook their heads and said, “no we have not seen anything out of the ordinary. But if there is, we will let you know, Your Majesty.”

Seliph felt relieved, and went to another village. This time a woman said “Nothing bad has happened since you’ve been here, I think we are all fine.” A sigh of reassurance escaped Seliph’s lips, and he put the rumor in the back of his mind. 

“I also think it is nothing but rumors, but I’ll send out soldiers on watch just to be safe.” He replied to the woman. “Please stay safe, okay?” He said before warping himself back and sighing again. 

Perhaps it was just rumors, exaggerations to frighten everyone. But no matter what, he was sure everyone would be safe. After all, he’s around to help when needed. 

He teleported to the different parts of Grannvale. Telling the soldiers to guard Edda, Chalphy, and Dozel. Finally, he left Velthomer and Belhalla on his own watch. 

Before he knew it, it was evening; his responsibilities made the time pass that much faster. He went through harder things so it wasn’t as exhausting; maybe he could have the night to himself and reassure himself like he did every day.

Suddenly a servant of his went up to him. “Lord Seliph! Lord Seliph!” They said waving their arms around to get his attention. “It’s evening now time to pick up Katria!” 

“Katria? Who’s she?” He asked

“Don’t you remember? You agreed to go on a date with her the other day!” They said. “So come on, go and get ready! You need to pick her up soon!”

So that evening he was set up with yet another suitor. Katria came all the way from Thracia. A couple of the servants had introduced her to Seliph, and explained that it could make more Thracians follow and trust in him with an Empress hailing from their lands..

The two went out and dined together for a long while, as Seliph was distracted for most of it. Seeing the way her expression was, she seemed to enjoy it. She was smiling and looked content. She then asked if he could take her for a walk.

As the night went on, Seliph realized once again that he wasn't interested in her. Perhaps it was his undying love for Larcei still sitting within his heart that did it, and how much Larcei was so outgoing and just out there. Regardless he wanted to be polite so he took her hand and they went on a nice walk.

As the two walked together, he gave the maiden a flower from the garden. And put it in her delicate, wavy hair. She giggled, grabbing his hand and putting it on her face blushing a little bit. From the way her expressions were, he knew she loved him and wanted to see him again. 

All of a sudden, it was already late at night and she had to leave. But just as he was about to warp her back to Thracia she asked. “Will I see you again, King Seliph?” 

He hesitated. But couldn’t say anything, so he stayed silent.

Seliph casted the warp spell, took her hand, and dropped her off back to the city of Tahra where she lived. He took a breath and looked around the city. As he was about to warp back he saw her waving at him. She was hoping to see him again.

He sighed, warping back to Belhalla. Finally back. He put his head on the cold wooden table, tired of yet another day of ruling and trying to make everyone calm and collected. Putting his hands on his face, he felt tears well up again. Because he kept remembering the day Larcei died. 

So he sat on the table and poured himself a glass of wine. Drinking away his sorrows as usual. Wishing that things could’ve been better if nobody had died.

He felt the tears pouring from his soft blue eyes. Minutes became hours, and the hours became longer. Some time passed, and the night was getting darker, so he sighed and decided to get some sleep.

Yet by the time he got ready for bed and went under the covers, he couldn’t take it anymore. And he sobbed through the soft pillows. He couldn’t get his friends out of his mind. He couldn’t remember how he even got to sleep, it just happened so quickly.

But then he woke up hours later. Not on his own, but from voices. Not able to decipher who it was speaking to him, but he remembered well that he tends to have voices in his head. He felt fear tremble through him.

Fear made Seliph vulnerable. Everyone knew that. 

_ “You’ve won the war, but that stops nothing!” _

He heard a dark, raspy voice speaking to him. Taunting him. They sounded like whispering echoes, and it was making him quiver with fear.  _ Were these the voices again? _ It was then that he felt something cold brush up against his neck. When he realized that what he felt touching him was a frigid hand... he quickly sat up and looked around the huge room he always stayed in. 

At first, he thought it was his imagination playing tricks on him. So he lay still under the covers, closing his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep and forget it all ever happened.

But after moments passed with him sweating and shaking, he realized at that point he couldn’t get back to sleep. The taunts were getting to his head. 

_ “Your friends are dead! You killed your sister! And your wife died by my hands.” _

That almost made him crazy. The mention of his departed lover. His head was hurting just at the thought of remembering his sister's death. It made him almost break again, and he needed to forget about it.

He wished those voices would shut up.

He got out of his bed in an attempt to get some fresh air; all he needed was to take the fears out of his mind. He grabbed his long, royal cape he wore during the day. While it felt so heavy and tiring to wear during the day, he enjoyed wearing it at night.as light as a feather despite the warmth it provided.

Opening the door, with Tyrfing at his side, safely in the sheath. He immediately felt a wave of cool air through him. It felt refreshing - like all of his worries were washed away instantly. A small smile came across his face as he walked out the door. 

Completely oblivious to his surroundings, he walked across the dark and empty hallways, grinning the entire way, until he found the door that had moonlight reflecting off of it. He went to the balcony and breathed deeply; the cool air surrounding him made him content. He sighed happily, relaxed and reassured while feeling the gentle breeze. It reminded him of Forseti. 

For a good half an hour he stayed on the balcony, thinking about his now departed friends, when times were not as harsh. Or all of the times he wished he would’ve done something better during The Holy War, anything to save them all. The voices quieted down, for now, giving him a break. So eventually, he told himself he needed to get back to sleep for the early day ahead.

As he made his way through the halls the rumors swirled in his head again. Was the Lopto Sect really still out there? He asked himself. He could feel his stomach churn just thinking about it. He was getting anxious again, despite the fact he told himself it was nothing but rumors. 

A thought crossed his mind then. He needed to ensure that they wouldn’t come back, now or ever.

It was then that he thought, what if he could destroy the Loptous tome? Maybe it would make the Lopto cult disappear for good?

Before he could even realize where he was walking, he was at the door he was just thinking about; one that could only be opened by the inheritors of Baldur's blood. Anxiety crawled back to him. He was starting to question himself again. This isn’t what he needed himself to be right now, he needed to be focused.

Taking a deep breath, he placed his right hand onto the door; a small beam of light glowed underneath his palm before opening. He went into the room, making sure to close the door before anything could go after him.

The tome of Loptous was hidden away in Belhalla to prevent anyone from getting their hands on it. Seliph knew exactly where it was, and he knew how to get to it. 

The room's immense size was highlighted by the rows of holy weapons it contained, each kept under strict lock and key to prevent them falling into the wrong hands. Loptous stood by itself at the end of the hall, contained in a sealed metal case for  _ extra _ security. 

Seliph unlocked the case. The dark purple and red tome, left untouched for over an entire year, gathered a thick coating of dust. He brushed off the dust and saw the vibrancy of its color; it looked different, but maybe it was because he never really saw it up close. 

He took it out and held it within his palms. The dark energy was still present in the tome. He could  _ feel _ it within him despite having no blood of the dark god.

Holding it close to his chest he went out of the secret room, locked it, and looked across the long dark hallway.

Since his eyes had gotten adjusted to the dark, he noticed something…strange about the castle. It felt eerie and it smelled, yet it was familiar somehow and it made him remember the holy war again.  _ Why am I remembering everyone again?  _ He was not sure why the atmosphere felt like this for a good moment. But it gave him a sense of sadness.

With each step he took, he heard a light splashing sound. It felt like puddles of water. He looked down at the floor, confused at what he was stepping in. 

Blood.

Upon seeing the red puddles on the floors he turned his head up and saw corpses. The knights he relied on for weeks had been killed. He was never scared of seeing dead bodies; after all, he had gotten too used to seeing them during the Holy War. Yet, something about the deceased people around him made his stomach  _ uneasy _ .

Someone killed them, but he didn’t know who or what. He kept walking, tome still in hand and on the verge of dropping it from how much he was quivering. 

_ “Yessssss, that’s it. Look at you, all vulnerable!” _

More echoes of a voice. It made him tremble. He grabbed Tyrfing from the sheath, with his one hand, holding onto Loptous in the other. Just to try and protect himself.

With each step he took, he felt a dark presence behind him. He was sweating nervously, but he kept moving. He kept walking, as though he were in a trance, before he snapped back to reality.

He grabbed Tyrfing and plunged the sword into Loptous, closing his eyes tightly. A few moments passed and he opened his eyes.

It was still there, unscathed.

He grunted, frustrated and confused at why it wasn’t working. He looked over to the next room, noticing that it had a fireplace. He left Tyrfing on the floor, he didn’t need to right now, it wasn’t going to do him any favors.

As he was walking through the doorway he remembered that this was the family room. Seliph had forgotten the room had existed; he did not have a family, or even friends, to share it with. He wished he could be there with Larcei, she would’ve loved it.

Walking up to the fireplace, he went down on his knees, and found a pack of matches. All with the spellbook still in hand.

With a loud flick he lit the match and put it in the fireplace. It blazed loudly before calming to a warm crackle, it was brightly lit and he could feel the warmth of it on his face. He closed his eyes, smiled for a moment and told himself, ‘all will be well’. Then he opened them again and grabbed the dark tome.

“End everything,” he whispered as he stood and readied himself to toss the Loptous tome in the blazing flames.

But as he did, a figure’s hand pulled him towards them, causing him to tip over and drop the Loptous onto the ground, making a loud noise as it hit the tile. The cloaked figure put a hand on Seliph’s mouth. He tried to get away but remembered he didn’t have Tyrfing. 

He looked up at the figure. Manfroy. He felt a wave of anger and fear rush through him; he needed to free himself, but the panic was overwhelming him. He couldn’t do anything but look on in horror. 

“End everything,” Manfroy whispers, echoing the words Seliph just said. The taunt and in the archbishop’s voice made him tremble with fear, unable to protect himself. 

Manfroy used magic on Seliph to put him into a sleep-like paralysis. He couldn’t move at all but was fully aware of his surroundings and could feel everything. He saw a glistening sword that was in Manfroy’s grasp. It was his divine sword Tyrfing. How did he end up leaving his sword on the floor for anyone to take? 

Everything happened so fast. Questions circled around his head, with the anxiety of what’s to come. Before he felt the sword being plunged into him, with the pain coming in fast. 

It all came in shocks; it hurt like nothing he had ever felt before. He felt like it would last forever, but then, before he knew it? 

He was dead.

  
  



End file.
